Speedskating: Theresa Cliff-Ryan injured in training crash

Speedskating • Olympic hopeful treated and released at local hospital; her competition status is up in air

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This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Long-track speedskater Theresa Cliff-Ryan was injured during an off-day training session at the Utah Olympic Oval in Kearns when the 35-year-old Olympic hopeful was crashed into by a falling speedskater, the Associated Press reported.

Cliff-Ryan, who had her back to the ice while other skaters trained Monday, was injured when skater Kevin Geminder lost his balance on a straightaway going full speed. Geminder slid off the track and into Cliff-Ryan sending her into the air. The AP reported that within seconds trainers attended to her and put her in a neck brace.

She was placed on a backboard and transported to a hospital via ambulance.

Jamie Miller, communications manager for U.S. Speedskating, said due to HIPPA privacy laws, all the organization could confirm is that a long-track athlete was involved in an accident on the ice and was transported to a hospital for evaluation.

"She was treated and released," Miller said.

Cliff-Ryan, a native of Cedar Springs, Mich., barely missed out on qualifying for the U.S. Olympic team in the women's 3,000-meter qualifier Friday, finishing third in an event the Ameicans were allotted two spots in Sochi. As a former in-line skater and current professional cyclist, Cliff-Ryan was anticipated as a top contender in the women's 1,500-meter qualifier to be held Tuesday in Kearns. She's also entered to compete in the women's 5,000-meter event Wednesday, the final day of the long-track qualifiers.

The status of Cliff-Ryan for those two races is currently up in the air.

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